A Chance to Change
by Sarcastic Spirit
Summary: "There is power in writing. Worlds that never existed can come to life with just the stroke of a pen. People live and die by an author's whim. You have a chance to change what should never have happened. A chance to change the lives of many and save them from their fates."
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own, and never will own Harry Potter. I am simply playing with some of J.K. Rowling's toys.

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**Prologue**

"Oi! Prongs!" Sirius shouted across the table, far more loudly and exuberantly than necessary. "Toss me the butter!"

James grabbed the butter dish and swung his arm back in preparation for a throw. "Alright, go long!" The dish went soaring through the air with significant speed. Sirius leapt out of his chair in an attempt to catch the missile of glass and lard, but was too slow. As the dish was reaching the end of its parabolic trajectory, the two boys flinched as it went crashing towards the ground. But the shattering of glass never came; the dish hovered mere centimeters above the ground, and both boys looked up to see Mrs. Potter, wand out, entering the kitchen.

"Boys," She began, completely calm and composed. "What have I said about throwing breakable items in the house?"

"Sorry Mrs. Potter," Sirius flashed her one of his charming grins.

"Sorry Mum," James replied.

Jane Potter simply rolled her eyes, far too used to these antics to pay much heed to them anymore. Although she was getting to be rather old, she was still a very handsome woman, the lines on her face and her silvery hair only succeeding in making her look regal and dignified. She hardly ever got mad, and when she did, she had a way of making you feel awful while hardly raising her voice.

Jane glanced out the window and smiled. "It looks like your Hogwarts letters have arrived." James and Sirius glanced at each other for a moment, before racing towards the window, pushing and shoving each other in an attempt to get to the window first. It didn't matter that he was now seventeen, James still got just as excited about their Hogwarts letters as he did when he was eleven. She watched fondly as James and Sirius bombarded the poor owls, barely giving the creatures a chance to land before grabbing the letters. While Sirius had only come into her life the previous summer, she already looked at him as a second son. He had been so good for James, who used to become bored and restless during the summer. Now with Sirius to keep him company, James was constantly moving.

James opened his envelope and a large object fell out onto the ground with a metallic clang. Before James could react, Sirius swooped down to pick it up. As what he was holding processed, Sirius's eyes bugged out comically and he let out a barking laugh.

"Alright, this here is proof that our headmaster is off his rocker!" Sirius held up the object, allowing everyone to admire the bright Head Boy badge.

"Oh James, that's wonderful!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed. "We'll celebrate tonight after shopping. I'm going to go contact your father, he'll be so proud!" She went over and kissed her son on the forehead before leaving the room.

"How did this happen?" James finally managed to say something, causing Sirius to laugh all the harder.

"Oh Merlin this is good!" Calming down slightly, Sirius glanced over at the still shocked James. "You know, Evans will probably be Head Girl." James instantly snapped back to reality.

"You're right, this will be brilliant!" He ruffled his hair after years of habit. "I don't suppose she'll be too thrilled though."

"She's Evans, when's she ever thrilled about anything?" The two fell silent momentarily as they began to sort through the various shopping lists and messages.

"Who do you reckon Dumbledore will hire to be our new Defence prof?" Sirius asked as he skimmed through the required book list.

"Dunno," James replied. "But they can't be any worse than Professor Bogriff."

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed defensively. "Professor Bogriff was a beautiful, respectable, leggy, well-endowed –"

"But she didn't know rubbish about defence! She couldn't tell the difference between a grindylow and a kelpie!" James clearly found this frustrating.

"I think you're being unfairly judgmental," Sirius pouted. "When you're that attractive, you don't need to be smart."

"Unless you're me, in which case you can be ridiculously handsome and remarkably smart," James boasted.

"What a load of dragon dung, Prongs," Sirius snorted. "Everyone knows _I'm_ the most handsomest Marauder of all!"

"Padfoot, even the giant squid is more attractive than you."

"Ouch," Sirius looked deeply wounded. "That hurt Prongsie, I may never be the same again."

James rolled his eyes. "Want to go play some Quidditch before we pick up our stuff this afternoon?"

Eyes lighting up, and all previous hurts forgotten, Sirius answered in the affirmative and the two headed out to one of the many secluded fields behind the house. As a game wasn't completely possible with just two people, they spent the next few hours practicing tricky moves and coming up with new strategies for the upcoming season.

When they started to get hungry, they dismounted their brooms to head in for a quick lunch. As they started to walk towards the house, there was a bright flash behind them and they turned to see a figure falling from the sky. Before they had a chance to climb on their brooms, the figure collapsed in a broken heap on the ground.

"Bloody hell!" Sirius exclaimed as both he and James dropped their brooms and raced towards the figure. There were scarlet pools forming on the grass beneath bloodstained clothes.

"You stay here, I'll get Mum!" James started running urgently, and Sirius knew that he was uncomfortable seeing so much blood. Sirius knelt down and examined the figure.

It was a girl. Her face was ghostly white beneath red smears and her chest seemed to have caved in. One leg was completely twisted around while an arm bent out with an extra joint between the wrist and elbow. Sirius thought he was going to be sick. He jumped back in surprise when he saw her lips part slightly and he heard a soft, sharp breath. Then nothing. He almost thought he had imagined it, but he had to be sure. He checked the spot between her jaw and throat and was relieved to feel a faint pulse. But it was weak, and gradually slowing…

Frantic footsteps alerted him that help was on the way. James, Mrs. Potter and two on-call Healers were running towards the girl.

"She's breathing!" He told them. Silently they moved past him and knelt, pulling out their wands and muttering various spells in rapid succession. Mrs. Potter stood between James and Sirius, an arm wrapped around each boy.

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I hope you enjoyed. I'm using this story as an exercise in writing, so please review. Constructive criticism welcomed.

Sarcastic Spirit


	2. Is This the Real Life?

Thanks to all my readers, and to Padfootisawesome for putting this story on alert and adding it as a favourite. Please review, I'll never be able to improve or know how I'm doing if I don't get any feedback.

Disclaimer:If I owned Harry Potter, I'd be rich.

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**Is This the Real Life? Is it Just Fantasy?**

Sydney

I slowly blinked my eyes open, flinching slightly as the light assaulted my vision. My body felt as though it had been hit by a truck; all of my muscles ached and my skin was tattooed with bruises. Hit by a truck….

_I walked along the side of the road, zipping up my jacket a bit higher. Even though it was summer, the nights were cool. I spun around as I hear the screech of tires and my eyes widened in terror as I saw a large truck come barreling towards me. I shut my eyes instinctively and prepared for impact…_

I shot up with a loud gasp, the flashback bringing back all of my memories. I cringed at the movement and fell back down on to the thick pile of pillows. If I was dead, then why did I hurt so much? But was I even dead? I certainly didn't know where I was. The room was large and painted a deep burgundy along three walls and cream on the fourth. All the furniture was a bright cherry and the drapes on the enormous bed I was on where tied open with golden silk cords. Outside the wide window was a garden, and beyond that acres upon acres of trees and meadows.

"I think I heard her make a noise," a voice outside her door said in a half whisper.

"Well then what are you waiting for?" a second voice asked. "Let's go in!" The door slowly poked in, and I watched apprehensively as two boys peeked through.

"Brilliant!" The one with the longer hair exclaimed. "You're up!"

"Mum, Dad!" The boy with the messy hair and glasses called out. "She's up!" I examined them, wondering why they seemed familiar. I was sure I had never seen them before, but something nagged at the back of my mind that I knew who these people were.

Hurried footsteps could be heard in the hall, and then an older man and women rushed in. The woman smiled warmly.

"I'm so glad you're up dear, you gave us quite the fright! How are you feeling?"

I paused before answering. "I've been better." I was hesitant, still unsure of my surroundings and these people. I didn't think they meant me any harm, but with everything that was going through my mind it was hard to follow one train of thought for long.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the woman continued gently. "I'm Jane Potter, but you can call me Jane." She gestured to the man. "This is my husband Charles, and those two over there are James Potter and Sirius Black."

I couldn't stop my jaw from dropping open in surprise. This had to be some elaborate joke. Sure, the attractive boy with the nice hair sure _looked_ like Sirius Black, and the bespectacled boy with the messy hair fit the description of James Potter to a tee, but this couldn't be real. James Potter and Sirius Black were fictional characters; this had to be a prank. Although as I stopped to think about it, making sureI was hit by a truck seemed like that would be taking it too far, even for some of my wilder friends.

"You're joking," I finally managed to choke out. "You can't be serious." Jane looked confused and glanced over to Charles who simply shrugged. And then Sirius stepped forward.

"She's not, but I'm always Sirius!" James groaned as if this was an old joke that had long since lost all traces of humour.

"What's your name dear?" Jane asked kindly.

"I'm Sydney. Sydney Bryant." I was glad my voice didn't waver too much. It was impossible to take this all in, and I had no idea how I got here. I still wasn't sure I believed "here" was where everything was leading me to believe, though with every passing second it seemed more and more likely.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Charles asked, speaking for the first time.

"I – I'm not quite sure," I responded truthfully. "I – " I was saved from having to explain when there was a knock on the window. An owl sat on the windowsill with a letter tied to its leg. Forgetting all my injuries in that moment, I leapt out of bed towards the window. Unfortunately, this did not work out as planned and I was far weaker than anticipated. My knees buckled the moment my feet hit the ground and I let out an involuntary whimper of pain. James and Sirius swiftly caught me by the arms before I could collapse to the ground.

"Thanks," I managed, trying my best to keep the tears out of my eyes.

"No more walking for you," James said, ready to hoist me back into the bed.

"No! I need to see this," I needed the proof that this wasn't all some elaborate joke. That this wasn't just a dream, though I still hadn't ruled out that possibility. They allowed me to lean on them as I hobbled over to the window, wishing I could walk on my own. Hating the weakness.

James opened the window to let the owl in and Sirius detached the letter from the owl's leg, handing the envelope to me. On the front was my name, with my location listed as Potter manor. The back was sealed with purple wax and was pressed with a seal of the Hogwarts coat of arms. Eagerly I ripped it open.

_Dear Ms. Bryant,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As the Headmaster Professor Dumbledore has informed me that you have extenuating circumstances, you shall be beginning in seventh year. If you require any assistance catching up with our curriculum, do not hesitate to ask myself or any of your peers.__ Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.__  
_

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Hardly breathing, I pulled out a list and stared intently at the items I required. A small note was hidden behind it, and my eyes quickly read the short message.

_Ms. Bryant,_

_ Please come to my office directly after leaving the train to discuss your circumstances. I'm sure Mr. Potter or Mr. Black will be able to show you the way._

_Albus Dumbledore_

I couldn't help it, this time the tears began flowing over, my head full of mixed emotions. On one hand, here was an acceptance letter to the school I had dreamed of going to ever since reading the first Harry Potter novel. On the other hand, this shouldn't have been happening. Hogwarts was supposed to be a fictional place, just the creation of a talented author. I had no idea what was going on, and as excited as I was at the prospect of magic, I was terrified. What about my home? My family?

"Oh dear," I faintly heard Jane say. "It must be the shock from her injuries." I barely noticed as the boys led me to the bed, didn't even realize what was going on as Charles handed me a glass with some liquid in it. My arm lifted the glass to my lips on its own accord, and I drank the sweet, syrupy liquid. My eyes became heavier and heavier, and then they closed and I shut out the strange world around me.

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Thanks for reading, sorry about the slow chapter, there was just a lot to get in. Hopefully I'll be done all of that soon and there will be much more focus on all the other lovely characters! Please review, it would make my day to hear your thoughts!

Sarcastic Spirit


	3. A Whole New World

Thanks so much to jmanfb for reviewing! Please everyone who is reading my story, take a couple minutes to review. I'm working hard on it and would really appreciate the feedback.

I am also willing to do a review for a review. If you give me a somewhat detailed review (as in more than "great! love it!") with something specific you liked, or even some room for improvement, then if you PM me a story you'd like me to check out, I'll read the first chapter and review. Warning though, I will be honest in my review, I don't flame but I won't praise something just to keep getting reviews, I'll try to write a helpful, hopefully positive review. **Just don't leave the story you want me to read in a review, make sure you send the title to me in a PM.**

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would buy you an exotic pet. Yep, like a llama, or an emu...

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**A Whole New World**

Sirius

It was dinnertime on the same morning that the Sydney girl had woken up, and Mrs. Potter had made a scrumptious roast that none of us hesitated to bite into. The conversation at the table was, unsurprisingly, about her and where she came from. It was about halfway through the meal when the topic of our conversation hesitantly walked in.

"Sydney dear!" Jane rushed up to her to steer her towards a seat at the table. She flicked her wand and a plate and some cutlery came zooming in to settle down on the table while Sydney watched them with an expression I couldn't quite understand.

"Thank you," Sydney murmured quietly as she sat down in a spot beside James and across from me.

"How are you feeling?" James asked.

"Much better, thank you," she replied, her eyes focused down on her plate.

"Well, you're looking much better," I grinned. And it was true, though she still had some bruising on her, all bones were properly healed and her chest was no longer caving in on itself, which I looked at as a major improvement. All blood had been removed from the clothes we had found her in, but they were still looking pretty worn and ratty.

She looked up at me with the slightest of smirks, but her hazel eyes lit up in a way that brightened up her face and made her bruises almost unnoticeable. "Well, then I must have looked pretty miserable when you found me, because I look positively awful right now."

"While that is true," I began before being cut off by both Jane and Charles.

"Sirius!"

"What? I'm not being mean, I'm just agreeing with her!" I defended myself.

James rolled his eyes. "What my idiot friend here means," he began while I scoffed at being called an idiot. "Is that when we found you, we thought you were dead." Sydney quickly looked down again.

"Can you remember anything?" Charles asked.

"Only bits and pieces," Sydney replied. "I really need to speak to Professor Dumbledore about it, I think he may be able to help."

"How do you know about Dumbledore?" I asked.

"He sent me a note with my Hogwarts letter, telling me to meet him before the start of term feast."

"Do you have any family? Anywhere to stay?" Jane asked.

Sydney bit her lip, and I could see it quivering. "Not anymore." It came out in barely a whisper.

"Oh, you poor thing," Jane got up and pulled Sydney in a hug. The girl seemed to stiffen for a moment in surprise before hugging Mrs. Potter back. "You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like."

"Thank you Mrs. Potter," Sydney smiled through the tears. "You're very kind, but I wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense! I wouldn't mind having another female in the house, as lovely as my husband and these two are, living with all males can become quite the challenge!"

At this Sydney chuckled. "I'm surprised you've managed all this time," she managed to choke out with a slight laugh.

Jane smiled widely. "Don't worry, we'll figure everything out. The room you're in now is yours for as long as you want it. We'll have to get you some clothes, you can't go around wearing these ones forever – maybe when we could out shopping for school supplies, we could do that tomorrow…"

"I don't want to be any trouble," Sydney tried to protest. "I have no way of paying you back –" Jane wouldn't even allow her to finish.

"Enough of that nonsense!" Jane rolled her eyes. "While you're here you are family, there will be no need to pay anyone back. Let us help you."

"Thank you. Thank you so much," Sydney genuinely smiled, a big smile and hugged Jane fiercely. She then turned to Charles. "And thank you as well."

"Anytime," Charles smiled.

Sydney looked over at her plate. "May I please be excused from the table? I think I'd like some time to process... everything that's happened." Jane answered in the affirmative and told her to ask if she needed anything.

After she left, everyone went back to their food. "She cries an awful lot, doesn't she?"

"Sirius you twat!" James exclaimed. "Did you see how we found her? I think even you'd cry if your whole life got turned upside-down after a near death experience."

I scoffed. "Never! Sirius Black never cries!"

"What about that time – "

"Shut up Prongs!" I cut him off. Jane sighed.

"I'm so glad we finally have another woman in the house," she said. "Maybe I'll have some chance of maintaining what sanity I have left.

Jane sent us to go and check on Sydney while she cleared up the dishes. Even though the Potter's were a very old, very wealthy pureblood family, they didn't keep any house elves. The idea of being waited on didn't particularly appeal to them, and Mrs. Potter claimed she enjoyed doing all of the housework with a mixture of charms and the muggle way of doing things because it gave her a sense of accomplishment and pride.

Once again using our sneaky Maraudering skills, James and I slowly crept the door to the guest room Sydney was staying in – I guess her room now – and looked inside. Sydney didn't even look up from where she was sitting on her bed, looking intently at the Hogwarts letter she was gripping tightly, as though afraid it might fly away and disappear.

"Trying to memorize it?" I asked casually. She looked up with wide eyes, and I contained my laughter. She looked rather comic, all shocked with big eyes, her boy-short brown hair nearly as messy as James's.

"Haven't you ever hear of knocking?" She asked.

"I have," I replied. "I've just decided it's a waste of my time." Sydney and James both rolled their eyes at the same time, then grinned to each other.

"He's rather annoying, isn't he?" Sydney smirked.

"You have no idea," James replied. "Try living with him for a couple years, then see how bad it is."

"Oi! I'm right here!"

"He's also pretty whiny," my ex-best mate added.

"I've noticed," she replied, before addressing both of us. "I'm guessing you were sent to check up on me?"

"Right you are!" I plopped myself down on the bed without invitation. "So, do you know much about Hogwarts?"

"A little," she admitted. James then proceeded to tell her all about the castle, the four houses, Quidditch, the ghosts and all sorts of other things, with highly helpful input from me of course.

"So this letter," Sydney held up the letter she had been holding for dear life. "This means I'm a witch?"

"Of course!" James replied. "IT's a school for witches and wizards, they don't let just anyone in! …Wait, you didn't know you were a witch? How can you be – how old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"How can you have lived for seventeen years and not known you were a witch?"

"Well, I – "

I cut her off. "And if you didn't know you were a witch, then you must be muggleborn, right? And if you didn't know you were a witch, then why don't you seem surprised by magic? Shouldn't you think we're all nuts?"

"I, um, knew about magic before," Sydney started.

I continued. "From who? How many other witches do you know? Why – "

"Padfoot! Enough with the questions!" James said.

"What? I'm just curious," I pouted. Sydney laughed, but she looked relieved to have gotten out of answering the questions. That girl was hiding something, I was sure of it. I was going to have to figure it out.

I had thought nothing would ever amuse me more than watching the various, creative ways that Evans used to turn James down whenever he asked her out, but clearly I was wrong. Taking Sydney to Diagon Alley was proving to be much more entertaining. Although at first she had tried to remain calm, she was soon running around and looking at everything in the stores with all the enthusiasm of a first year. Although in a way, this was her first year, so that might explain it, but it was much funnier when it was a fully-grown student as opposed to the midget kids.

We had gone to a muggle shopping area already this morning and bought her a whole new wardrobe. She still hadn't changed out of James's old t-shirt and jeans that had been magically shrunk to fit her lean frame but had been very excited to get some clothes of her own. After that we had gone to Madame Malkin's to get her the required black robes that were part of the Hogwarts uniform, followed by various other stores to get cauldrons, potion ingredients and other small requirements.

"Boys," Jane addressed James and I once we had all finished our ice cream lunch at Florean Fortescue's. "How about you take Sydney to buy her books. Your father and I have a few errands to run." The fact that she had addressed Charles as not only James's father, but mine as well was not lost on me. My heart soared – although I would never admit to thinking something as cliché as that to anyone.

"Sure," James agreed.

"We can do that… Mum," I tried it out on my tongue. Jane… Mum beamed at me and placed a kiss on my forehead.

"We'll meet in three hours at the Leaky Cauldron," she told me.

"What am I, chopped liver?" James mumbled. Mum simply smiled and gave him a quick hug before she and… Dad? She and Dad headed out to stroll along Diagon Alley.

"So, ready to buy some books?" I asked.

"Yes!" She replied, far too enthusiastic about books in my opinion. But she seemed excited about everything here, so maybe that was it. Getting excited about books was for people like Moony and Evans, and we could only have so many people like that around the Marauders after all.

To my great disappointment, when we entered the store, her eyes widened even more than they had all day. Unfortunately, it seemed like she was one of _those_ people afterall.

"Padfoot, look who it is!" James nudged me in the ribs.

"Why, I do believe that is our good mate Moony," I replied with a grin, though internally wincing. James had sharp elbows, almost as bad as a girl's.

"Oi, Moony!" James called. Remus looked up above the large pile of books with a smile and walked over to us.

"How's your summer been?" Remus asked as he approached.

"Brilliant," I replied. "Allow me to introduce you to the newest resident of Potter Manor, Ms. Sydney Bryant." I gestured behind me.

Remus raised an eyebrow and then looked at James. "Does he have an imaginary friend?"

I looked behind me quickly and noticed a distinct lack of female presence. "What? She was right there!" Remus didn't look convinced. "No really! She fell out of the sky and – Prongs, help me! Tell him I'm not making it up!"

James, the arse, looked at Remus and said with a completely straight face, "I have no idea what he's talking about."

"James," I whined.

"Fell out of the sky?" Remus asked doubtfully.

With a huff, I marched off, my so-called friends behind me, James laughing to himself. I searched through the aisles of books until I found Sydney happily browsing through books, running her fingers along the spines as she silently mouthed the titles.

"There you are!" I exclaimed, and she looked up with surprise and dropped one of the books she had been holding. "I can't take you anywhere! Turn around for one minute, and you're gone!"

"He always has been a bit overdramatic," James apologized.

"She made me look crazy in front of Moony!" I defended.

"I don't think you need any help with that," Sydney smirked. I decided she was getting just a bit too sure of herself. She picked up her book and then turned towards Remus. "I'm Sydney, by the way. Sydney Bryant. I assume you're a friend of these two?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Remus sighed, that traitor. "I'm Remus Lupin." He then turned to me. "So you were actually telling the truth? Did she really fall from the sky?"

James then began a boring account of what all had happened since Sydney fell from the sky, while aforementioned girl blushed all the while. After the incident with Moony, I decided that all of her shy, innocent nonsense was really just an act. She was clearly out to get me.

After James finished his story, we all went around looking for all of the books we needed for our classes, as well as some extra spell books for Sydney since she had missed so many years. Remus would ask Sydney about herself, but mostly she gave vague answers and redirected the questions towards us. Talking about me was my specialty, so I willingly stepped forward for that part.

As we passed the surprisingly well stocked muggle fiction section, Sydney glanced back longingly. "Do you suppose I could take a quick look in there?" She asked after a moment's pause. And so after James agreed, she and Remus began chatting animatedly about books and other boring stuff like that.

As we exited the bookshop with loads of heavy books, James turned to Sydney. "We should probably get your wand now." The girl looked like she was ready to burst with excitement.

_This should be fun_, I thought to myself.

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Thanks for reading! This chapter was about twice as long, and hopefully after this it will start picking up! I always hate starting stories, so after this it should start to flow better.

(And quick thanks to jmanfb who spotted some errors, which I have hopefully corrected now)

Have a great day!

Sarcastic Spirit


	4. Put Out the Fire

Thanks so much to my wonderful reviewers jmanfb and nursie91 :D

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner. But I would eat Kraft Dinner, with all the fanciest dijon ketchup

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**Put Out the Fire**

Sydney

_I'm going to get a wand! _That thought was the only thing going through my mind as I was steered towards the front door of Ollivander's. I was doing my best to contain my excitement on the outside, but wasn't too sure how well I was managing considering the number of snickers I kept hearing from James and Sirius. Remus had decided to come along and was controlling his amusement far better than the other twats with only a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

There were no words (at least none more eloquent than my highly sophisticated "I'm going to get a wand!") that could fully describe how excited I was. For now, all previous worries were put aside in anticipation. Magic; I would be able to perform magic! It's something I had always dreamed of but never thought would ever really happen.

"After you," Remus smiled as he opened the door, a small bell ringing clearly in the shop.

"Why thank you," I grinned. I was positive nothing could dampen my mood now. The excitement of getting the one significant item that would complete my transition into this world was surging through me with such force that I decided not even a battalion of dementors could bring me down.

"We'll wait for you outside," James said, and Remus gave me a quick nod before heading out and letting the door close behind him. The bell on the door gave a few more chimes before falling silent. I walked up to the counter, suddenly feeling flashes of uncertainty. What if everyone was wrong, and I wasn't a witch? There was certainly no proof in my past to indicate that I would be. Or even worse, what if I woke up to find this was all a dream. My mouth started to go dry.

A man with piercing blue eyes came around the corner and looked at me with a knowing smile. "Ah, Miss Bryant I assume." I didn't ask how he knew my name, knowing I probably wouldn't get a straight answer. Well, that, and the fact that my mouth was so dry I wasn't sure I would be capable of producing the sounds required to utter the question.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime but was only a second, I swallowed and spoke. "I'm here to buy a wand." There, that wasn't so hard.

"You're an interesting young lady," Ollivander murmured as he turned to begin looking through the boxes. "Very curious indeed. But what to match you with?" He browsed the shelves a while longer and handed me a box. "Phoenix feather, spruce, slightly springy. 12 inches."

I pulled the wand out of the box and almost dropped it when I sensed its energy. I frowned slightly at the feel, the coldness and slight haughtiness the wand seemed to carry, but gave it a flick anyways. A stack of paperwork that had been sitting precariously on top of the desk burst into flame.

"Absolutely not," we both said in unison. I grinned sheepishly as he put out the flames with a quick 'Augmenti', looking at the ruined paperwork in dismay. Even though that wand had been a bit of a failure, I had performed magic! I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as he handed me the next wand.

It went on for ages. He handed me wand after wand, but none of them were the right fit. This one was too shy, that one too lazy; another was too eager and one too stubborn. With each box he handed to me, Ollivander's forehead wrinkled more and more as he tried to work out the puzzle of which wand to match with me. I wondered if the boys were still outside, or if they had given up and left me stranded.

He handed me yet another wand, and something clicked. I could all of a sudden feel the energy swirling throughout my body and in that moment, I felt as though I could handle anything. I gave it a flourish and a warm breeze filled the room, ruffling my hair and my borrowed clothes but not disturbing anything in the room, which I'm sure was a relief to poor Ollivander who had been getting quite the workout running around cleaning up all of the various messes.

"Wow," was all I could say.

"English oak and dragon core. 13 inches, unbending," The wandmaster told me. "That will be nine galleons." I happily paid with the money Jane and Charles had given me, clutching the box close to my heart as I exited the shop, Ollivander watching me with an unreadable expression as I did so.

"What, did you try ever bloody wand in the store?" Sirius teased as I walked out. I grinned back at him.

"Almost, would have been done sooner though if Ollivander didn't have to keep pausing to put out all the fires."

"So what did you get?" Remus prompted. I proudly pulled out my wand to display.

"13 inches, English oak with dragon core."

"So now all that's left is for you to get to Hogwarts and get sorted!" James said.

"Not yet!" I exclaimed. "I still have so much to catch up on! I'm going to have to learn so much stuff so I'm not too far behind! I'll have to go over all of my textbooks… oh man, how am I going to get this all done?"

"Don't worry, Moony can help you!" Sirius swung an arm around his friend's shoulder. "He's one of the top students in our year, and a prefect too! We try not to hold that against him though."

Remus looked over at Sirius pointedly. "You know the only reason I'm a prefect is that Professor Dumbledore was hoping I'd get some control over you."

Sirius grinned cheekily. "And that's worked out wonderfully so far, wouldn't you say Prongs?"

"Absolutely perfectly, Padfoot," James nodded solemnly. "We've gotten away with more pranks than ever before!"

"I don't know them," Remus looked at me.

"Don't lie!" James laughed. "You're the brains behind most of the pranks!"

"Of course I am," Remus smirked. "It's certainly not one of you two."

"Oi!" Sirius exclaimed.

"I resent that!" James fake-glared at his friend. He then looked down at the gold watch on his wrist. "OH! We've got to meet my parents in five minutes. You're welcome to come Remus, my parents love you."

Remus agreed and then we all began to make our way over to the Leaky Cauldron. I allowed myself to fall behind somewhat and just observed the three boys as they went back and forth, making jabs at one another constantly. Just watching them together was incredible; the bond they shared went so much deeper than just friendship. I knew that despite the constant flow of insults that soared between them, they would do anything for each other. I also knew that I would do everything in my power to keep them together. Pettigrew would not ruin their lives: not this time. It was with that determination in my heart that we entered the tavern and met up with Jane and Charles.

We ended up having dinner there, and the guys continued talking to one another. There really wasn't much I could contribute, so for the most part I was left out of the conversation, but I didn't mind. I talked to Jane and Charles about my day and asked them about theirs. They were very happy for me about my wand, and listened contently as I went into detail on some of the books I had gotten. James had convinced me to buy a few muggle books I had been eyeing, and I was thrilled to see several familiar titles. I ended up getting the complete _Chronicles of Narnia_ as well as _The Hobbit_. There had been several other books that had caught my attention, but despite the fact that the Potter's were independently wealthy, I felt bad for asking for anything more when they had already given me so much. I couldn't wait to crack open the much loved and familiar books, but I had a feeling I'd be a bit too busy with all the schoolwork I'd be catching up on to have much of a chance.

"Where's Peter, anyways?" Sirius asked Remus. I tensed up at the name and then tried to force myself to look relaxed. I wasn't supposed to know who he was; I couldn't show hate towards just the mention of his name. That just wouldn't work. I hoped no one noticed, but Remus looked at me with a raised eyebrow, looking puzzled. Damn, I hated observant people. They made it so hard to keep secrets. I decided to play dumb and cocked my head slightly as though wondering why he was looking at me, and after a pause he turned back to Sirius.

"He's grounded for the rest of the summer," Remus explained. "His mother wasn't happy about his marks, so she's making him stay at home studying. She even took away his owl so he couldn't just spend the time writing us, the only reason I know is that I went over to drop of the book I had borrowed from his mother's collection."

After that the conversation turned to other things and I finished my meal in silence. I'd find a way to stop Peter. Part of me hoped that I'd be able to stop him from going over to the dark side (they always lie about the cookies anyways) while the other part wanted to get rid of him here and now for the cowardice I knew he was capable of showing.

* * *

Ok, this one was a bit of a filler chapter, not as long as the other one, but I felt dragging it out wouldn't do me any good. There should be one more chapter before we get to Hogwarts, and that's when the real fun starts!

Thanks for reading, please leave a review with your thoughts!

Sarcastic Spirit


	5. I Believe I Can Fly

Hey everyone, I'm back! Hopefully everyone hasn't deserted me. Anyways, I've changed the end of this chapter which is why I'm reposting it. I sort of wrote myself into a corner that I didn't want to be in and because of that I lost all inspiration to write.

On the bright side, a lot of people have wanted the answer as to how Sydney got here, and with the changes I've made you'll get to find out next chapter, which should be posted within the next couple of days (maybe even tonight if things go well).

I will be using varying points of view throughout the story depending on what perspective I want, but I'll try not to go overboard. It will usually be either Sydney or one of the three marauders I don't dislike.

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I'd buy you a green dress. But not a real green dress, that's cruel.

* * *

**I Believe I Can Fly**

James

"So this is the quaffle," I tossed the ball to Sydney, which she caught easily. "It's what the chasers throw through the hoops to score points." I pointed to the struggling balls that were strapped down in my Quidditch set that had been a gift from my parents when I was younger. Sirius and I had decided to take it upon ourselves to teach Sydney how to play while she was living with us. Sirius was currently in the shed looking for the extra broom I knew we had somewhere in there… or maybe I was mistaken. Oh well, it would keep him busy for a while anyways.

"And there are three chasers," Sydney checked.

"Yes!" I was impressed at how quickly she was picking up on this. "Those are bludgers, they'll try to knock you off your broom. It's the beaters' job to defend our players from them while aiming them at the other team." She grinned at this and I was glad to see she wasn't completely turned off of the game because of a simple thing like bludgers. It always surprised me how many students had no inclination to play simply because of two measly little balls.

I bent down and reached into the small hatch, pulling out the snitch. The wings fluttered to life underneath my fingers. "This is the golden snitch, and it is the seeker's job to find and catch it before the other team. Catching the snitch ends the game, and earns the team how many points?" I prompted.

"One hundred and fifty," Sydney responded without hesitation.

"Good, you were listening," I nodded. I then held up my broom, the latest model that had come out in the new _Nimbus_ line. "And this is a broom."

"You don't say?" She gasped in false disbelief. "How was I ever supposed to figure that one out? Thank goodness you're here to teach me." She smiled up and batted her eyelashes, her grin mocking. It was all rather annoying.

I rolled my eyes and was about to answer when a large crash echoed from across the yard. Sydney looked over curiously, her head unconsciously tilted to one side.

It still bothered me how little I knew about that girl. She hadn't shared anything about her past or family, and had only just started opening up to the point where we got to see a personality. Whenever we asked a question about her life, she would either try to redirect the question towards Sirius and I or if that failed, just outright refuse to answer.

At least she had broken out of her initial shell. After a few days of living in our house, her hesitance seemed mostly gone and was replaced with teasing, sarcasm and liveliness. Of course, around Mum and Dad she fell back to an almost automatic politeness, but around Sirius and I she felt no such restrictions.

And she spent so much time with her books! Merlin, was that girl determined. Almost every time I saw her, she had one of the large books open on her lap, flipping pages with one hand while she held her wand in the other hand, softly muttering the spells to herself. These past couple of days she had already managed some of the simpler first year spells like _Alohomora_ and _Wingardium Leviosa_, but she still had a lot to catch up on.

"James you prat!" Sirius yelled, coming over coated in dust. Sydney quickly raised a hand to stifle a laugh, but I didn't bother.

"What happened?" I asked, laughing openly as Sirius glared.

"Here." He shoved the broom into Sydney so suddenly she stumbled back a few steps and then he turned to me. "That shed of yours is a bloody mess, that's what happened! I couldn't see anything, so I tried using _Accio_, and while it did work, it pulled down about half of the contents of the shed onto my head!"

"Sorry about that mate," I apologized, though he didn't look too convinced of my sincerity. Might have had something to do with the fact that the words were coming out between laughs.

Sirius muttered something along the lines of "useless wanker" and then with a quick swish of his wand, cleaned himself off. Being seventeen made things so much more convenient, since we were now able to perform magic outside of school. Since I grew up in an all-magic household, I was able to get away with underage magic, at least as far as the ministry was concerned. If Mum caught me on the other hand, well, I'd rather take my chances in front of the entire Wizengamot.

So we started the flying lesson. We started off by having her place the broom on the ground and then command it up. It was an important first step to flying because it taught the flyer the proper control needed over the broom. She tried once, and when the broom, a Cleansweep, simply twitched, her eyes narrowed and she gave the broom a hard stare.

"Up!" She demanded with a slight growl. The Cleansweep leapt up quickly and sprung into her hand. Her eyes softened and she grinned. "It's just like dealing with animals," she explained. "You ask nicely, and if that doesn't work, you just need to be a bit more firm."

"Right," I agreed slowly, not exactly knowing from first hand experience. "Like that. So now that you have your broom, it's time to mount it." I got on to demonstrate to her while Sirius did the same. He was here to help, and while he was just as qualified to explain as I was, he had far less patience when it came to teaching and would often get frustrated when his 'students' didn't catch on as quickly as he might have. Despite all of his jokes and immaturity, Sirius was actually very bright and capable, not that I'd ever tell him that. Like the bloke needed more to inflate his already enormous ego.

"It can't be comfortable to sit on the narrow stick," Sydney commented.

"It's not bad," I replied. "Part of the magic that allows the broom to fly also works to give you a slight lift so your entire weight isn't digging into the handle."

"Yeah, and you're a girl," Sirius added. "It will be even easier for you than it is for us." Sydney shrugged, content with our answers and swung her leg over and settled onto the broom.

"So now I push off?" She asked.

"Not yet," I began. Then I went on to explain the importance of the upper body position as it controlled the broom's movement. It was fairly basic stuff, but very important to a person's success flying. She looked impatient to be off, shifting her weight from foot to foot. I wasn't really sure how much attention she was paying to me, which I figured would show when she went up into the air and had no control.

"Now?" Sydney asked once I had finished.

"Now," I agreed. "Sirius and I will be ready to catch you if you –" Before I had finished, she thrust up into the air with a whoop of joy. For the first couple seconds she seemed unstable and I was worried we were going to watch her eat dirt again, but she adjusted her seat and then took of, laughing as she did.

I looked at Sirius who grinned. "She's a natural."

"She is," I agreed. "But she needs to learn to listen to instructions." Sirius just laughed and kicked off the ground, and we quickly caught up with Sydney who was turning, diving and rising, getting a feel for the broom.

"Hey Bryant!" Sirius yelled. "Try to keep up!" He then took off in the other direction and Sydney immediately began chasing after him. I joined in and for a while we just enjoyed the flight, travelling together with the taste of freedom that flying always brought.

When we landed, Sydney was still laughing, though she wobbled slightly as she stood up. "That was fantastic," she breathed, her eyes alight with merriment.

"Where did you learn to fly like that?" I asked. "You adjusted to the control really quickly, it usually takes people a while to learn the fine movements."

"I used to ride horses before I came here," she replied. "I've been focusing on fine adjustments of my body since before I can remember."

"Like muggles used to ride in the olden days?" I asked, puzzled. "Did you not have one of those, um, big metal things to get around?"

"Cars?" Sydney suggested, seeming amused. "And yes, my family did have a car. Horseback riding was more of a sport – sort of like flying can be used for transportation or sport."

This was the first time she had brought up her life before coming here, so I held on in an attempt to learn more. "Did you ride often?"

"Almost every day," she smiled. "Riding just gives you such a sense of freedom, it's truly incredible. Flying is amazing, being so high up, but the connection you build with the horse when riding is incomparable." As she continued talking about horses, we settled under one of the nearby trees, enjoying the break from the hot summer sun.

"What about your family?" Sirius asked.

"It was just my parents and I," Sydney looked down. "I always wanted siblings. My best friend Victoria was like a sister to me though. We spent so much time at each other's houses that it certainly seemed like she was my sister." She went quiet, seemingly absorbed in thought. "But enough about me, let's go grab some lunch!" She raced of towards the house and Sirius and I followed after, the smells drifting out from my mother's cooking encouraging us not to hesitate.

The rest of the summer fell into a constant pattern. In the mornings, Sirius and I would take Sydney out flying and work on various maneuvers and strategies. She then spent the afternoon's pouring over her schoolbooks and trying to catch up on everything she had missed. Remus often joined her for these sessions, and occasionally Sirius and I would give our input. For the most part though, Sirius and I just spent more time flying and coming up with strategies for the upcoming season.

Before any of us knew it, it was September 1st.

* * *

If you've read this, thanks so much for sticking with me! Your support is amazing and I truly appreciate you taking time to read my work (though I'll appreciate it even more if you review!).

Have a great day!

Sarcastic Spirit


	6. Gotta Get Back to Hogwarts

So here's the chapter everyone's been waiting for! We finally get to find out why the heck Sydney has popped into this world. Hopefully it's not too disappointing. If you catch any mistakes, please let me know, I've read it over a couple of times but I'm tired, so hopefully I caught anything major. Thanks for your patience!

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I'd build a tree fort in my yard.

* * *

**Gotta Get Back to Hogwarts**

Sydney

As I ran onto the platform, James and Sirius stood waiting for me with grins on their faces. "See? That wasn't so bad," James said.

"You really should trust us by now," Sirius added. "When have we ever steered you wrong?"

I crossed my arms and glared at him. "I'm not even going to answer that." He pouted his lips and then I broke into a laugh. "You're pathetic. Let's get on the train!" I had to admit, I had been a bit nervous about crossing the barrier onto the platform. No matter what the books said about it not being painful, there's something programed into people to keep them from running headfirst into brick walls, and overcoming that took a bit of effort.

"Hold on a minute," Charles came up behind us. "Aren't you going to say goodbye?"

James and Sirius both quickly said their goodbyes and then I smiled up to the Potter's. "Thank you so much for everything," I hugged them both. "I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough."

"Just keep in touch dear," Jane hugged me again. "You can use James's owl anytime."

"And one last thing before you go," Charles said. He handed me a small crate that I hadn't noticed while being so focused on getting to Hogwarts. Pulling off the thin sheet that had been draped over the crate, I found myself face to face with a gorgeous Siamese kitten with enormous blue eyes.

"We know how much you love animals," Jane began. "And we figured you could use a bit more company. She hasn't been named yet, so choose whatever you like."

I carefully put down the crate before leaping at the two people who were the closest things I had to parents. "She's beautiful," I whispered, my voice slightly caught in my throat due to the pure emotion rushing through me. "Thank you so much."

A warning whistle went off and I quickly gathered my things, sent one last smile towards Jane and Charles and then met with James and Sirius who helped get all of my things on board.

The two boys walked up the aisle before opening the door to a cabin a stepping inside. I followed hesitantly but didn't enter. I didn't want to be a burden; I knew how much the boys enjoyed their time together.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked.

James rolled his eyes. "Syd, you're basically family now, of course you can join. Besides, Mum would kill me if she found out I let you sit alone."

"So, do you like your gift?" Sirius asked as I pulled my cat out of her crate. "It was James' idea."

"Really?" I asked James.

He nodded. "You kept going on about how much you love animals, so I mentioned the idea of getting you a pet to Mum and Dad and they thought it was a great idea."

"I still think you should've gotten her an owl," Sirius put in.

"Well I don't, I think she's absolutely perfect," I held her up and examined her. "Velvet," I decided quietly, thinking of one of my favourite characters in a book that hadn't yet been written. As I set her down onto my lap, Velvet curled up and began purring.

"I should get going," James stood up. "I have to go to the prefect meeting as Head Boy." He grinned. "And I'll bet Lily flower is just dying to know who her partner is."

Shortly after James left, another person stuck their head in the car. "Sirius! There you are!" A small boy walked in and it took me only a moment to realise that I was now in the same compartment as the rat who had gotten James and Lily killed.

"Peter," Sirius grinned. "Come on in, you're just in time for the show."

"What show?" Peter asked. As if on cue, a scream went through the train.

"JAMES POTTER! WHAT IS THAT YOU'RE WEARING?"

"I believe Lily just heard the wonderful news," Sirius smirked and I couldn't help the giggles that escaped my lips. This drew Peter's attention.

"You must be Sydney," he said. "I've heard loads about you. I'm Peter." He held out his hand, which I shook. I squeezed harder than I meant to and his pale eyes opened wide at the force of my grip.

"I'm Sydney," I replied. "And I know plenty about you as well." Eventually everything settled into silence; Sirius had pulled out a muggle motorcycle magazine, Peter had broken open a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and I just sat stroking Velvet and staring out the window. It was like this that James and Remus found us when they came back from their meeting.

"How'd it go?" Sirius asked innocently. Remus snorted.

"Don't pretend you didn't hear," he shook his head. "The whole train must have heard. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to hear out of my left ear again."

"She'll come around," James said with determination. "This is the year." To hide the growing smile that I couldn't control, I picked up Velvet and buried my face in her soft fur.

"You've been saying that since we were on the train in second year," Remus sighed.

"But this year is different!" James exclaimed happily. "This year I'll have Sydney as my wing-man… uh, wing-girl!"

"Wing-girl?" Part of me knew better than to ask, but the other part was filled with morbid curiosity.

"Yeah! Once you're sorted into Gryffindor, you'll room with her and become close, doing all those girly bonding things girls do, and all the while you'll tell her how awesome she is! She's bound to come around!"

"James, there's no certainty I'll be sorted into Gryffindor," I pointed out.

He frowned. "I hadn't thought of that. Well, if that happens, we'll think of something!"

Part way through rolling my eyes, I stopped and stared out the window. "There it is!" I exclaimed. IT was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I had read about it and even seen it in the movies, but nothing could capture the pure magic that seemed to radiate off of the grounds. It was all so different, and yet so familiar. For the first time ever I would truly, 100% step foot in the halls of Hogwarts, but it didn't feel like the first time. It felt as if I was going back to the place where I had grown up, which in a way it was.

"We're almost there! I need to change into my robes," I jumped up and Velvet landed on the floor and gave me a look. "Sorry." I picked her up and put her into her crate, before grabbing my robes. As I took off to find a place to change, I could hear the boys laughing behind me, but I couldn't have cared less.

* * *

I stood outside of Dumbledore's office, breathing deeply. Sirius and James stood on either side of me and I lifted my hand, never before realizing just how powerful gravity was, and knocked.

"Come in," Came a calm voice that settled my worries, even if it was just a little. I opened the door and sitting at the desk was a man with long silver hair, bright purple robes, and half-moon spectacles. Albus Dumbledore. He smiled. "Mr. Potter, you should return to the Great Hall as Head Boy. I'm sure Mr. Black would not mind waiting outside so as to escort Miss Bryant there once we are done. Both boys nodded and left, closing the door behind them.

"Can you maybe cast a silencing charm on the door?" I asked, worried I was being too bold. "I'm still not sure exactly what's going on, but I think it's best it doesn't leave this room for now."

"Of course," The Headmaster nodded gravely. He swished his wand and said, "All done. And what is it you wish to speak to me about?"

"This may be a bit hard to believe," I started. "I'm still not sure I fully believe it myself. I still keep expecting I'll wake up from a dream to find out this was all just a product of my imagination…" I was rambling, but Dumbledore waited patiently, his fingers laced together as he listened. "You see sir, I'm not from here. Where I'm from, Hogwarts is the setting of a fantasy series about a young boy – the son of some students who are here now. This world – this wizarding world that is – doesn't exist where I'm from. I don't know how I got here, or why. And… I'm scared. I want to know what's going on. Will I ever get back home?"

"I may be able to help you with some of that. But first, can you remember what you were last doing before you ended up here? I know the story of your arrival, the Potter's contacted me right after the healers, but I need to know the beginning."

I thought back, remembering the flashback I had when I awoke. "I was walking home after work, it was a Friday night." Closing my eyes, I allowed to myself to slip back into that moment. "I heard the screeching of tires, and saw headlights coming towards me and then… and then…" My voice caught.

"I see," Dumbledore got up and pulled a large book from his shelves. "This is the life's work of a wizard who lived in the eighteen-hundreds," he began. "It was laughed off as the ravings of a lunatic and never fully examined. I managed to find a copy, and of course, being the inquisitive mind that I am, I read through it to see what it was all about."

"Ok," I nodded to indicate I was still listening.

"This wizard had spent his life trying to understand and discover the possibilities of new universes. While many were willing to accept that much, it didn't end there. He had the idea that a powerful thought, when strong enough and with enough belief in it, would be able to create a whole new universe. That never existed before.

"You can see why this might have troubled people; it would mean that anyone's creative mind – even a muggle's – could create something as enormous and significant as an entire universe. It does not normally sit well with others to think they are merely players on a stage."

"So you're saying that this world was created by the author in my world?" I asked.

"Is that not what an author does?" Dumbledore replied.

"Well yes, but the worlds are inside of people's heads, it's completely different!"

"And there is nothing more powerful than human thoughts and emotions," Dumbledore said softly. "Are the stories of this world popular?"

"Yes, people all over the world adore them," I told him, starting to grasp the idea. "So the author's thoughts, with the help of all her fans, have actually formed a real place? But what am I doing here?"

"What is real?" Dumbledore asked. "And I am very sorry to say this, but I believe you are dead in your world. I cannot say for sure why you are here, but would I be correct in assuming that some sort of tragedy occurred in these books?"

I thought back to everything. James and Lily being betrayed and killed. Sirius being sent to Azkaban as Remus lost all of his friends in one blow. Frank and Alice being tortured into insanity. Fred, Tonks, Remus, Moody, Dumbledore, Sirius, every last one of them dead. "You could say that."

"Then it is possible that you are here to fix things," Dumbledore pondered. "I cannot say. I do not know what is to happen, which is for the best. You must trust your judgment. It would take powerful magic to bring you here, a different kind than any wizard (or witch) could conjure up."

I felt my heart drop. "But how do I know what's right? By trying to change things, I could just make things worse!" Dumbledore nodded.

"You'll have much to consider. I will help you as best I can when you seek my assistance, but I think it's best that you keep the details you know to yourself unless absolutely necessary. " He then clapped his hands. "The feast is about to start! I'm assuming you would prefer to be sorted in my office than with the first years? It is entirely up to you."

"Yes please," I was slightly relieved by that news at least. "I don't want to draw any more attention to myself than necessary."

The hat had not been taken to the feast yet and Dumbledore lifted off of one of his numerous shelves and placed it on my head.

_'Well, aren't you interesting.'_ The hat said. I was glad the books had prepared me for this at least; otherwise I probably would have fallen over in shock. _'Let's think. I believe the best place for you will be….'_

"Gryffindor," the sorting hat said out loud, though at a regular volume since we weren't in the great hall. I breathed a sigh of relief; I could only imagine how difficult it would have been being placed in Slytherin since I was a muggleborn with no past.

With a flick of Dumbledore's wand, a Gryffindor badge appeared on my robes and the plain black tie I had been wearing turned red with gold stripes. "Congratulations Miss Bryant. Now I do believe young Mr. Black is waiting for you."

"Thank you sir," I turned to leave.

"And Miss Bryant," Dumbledore added, and I turned to face him. "Good luck."

* * *

So, hopefully that answered some of the major questions. In case people are wondering, the reason that Sydney is all of a sudden a witch is because when this Power transfered her here, it gave her the necessary abilities to fit in where she needed to be to fix things. It would be nearly impossible as a muggle. I will go into that further later, but for now I just thought I'd clear that up since I just didn't manage to fit it into the actual story.

Hope you enjoyed, please leave a review regardless with your thoughts!

Sarcastic Spirit


	7. Tell Me More, Tell Me More

Hey guys! So I know it's been a long while... hopefully some of you are still there, but hopefully this chapter is worth the wait. It's a bit longer than the others, and we're finally starting to get somewhere... thanks again to jmanfb for reviewing the last chapter :)

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I'd buy you some art (a Picasso or a Garfunkel)

* * *

**Tell Me More, Tell Me More**

Remus

Sirius and Sydney came into the great hall just a few minutes before the first-years entered for their sorting. People from all houses turned to look and many continued blatantly staring. If Sydney noticed the stares she was getting, she didn't show it. She was talking animatedly to Sirius who led her over to James, Peter and I.

"I knew you'd be a Gryffindor!" James exclaimed, clapping Sydney on the back, and then in a lower voice he continued, "Looks like I'll have my wing-girl after all." He threw a wink at her, causing the girl to roll her eyes, though she couldn't hide a smile.

"Yeah yeah, we'll see." She sat down to James's left, across from Peter and I, while Sirius took the spot to James's right. As she sat down, she pulled the hem of her skirt down nervously.

"So you've already been sorted then?" Peter asked. "Why aren't you with the first years?"

"Professor Dumbledore thought it would be easier for me to be sorted privately, since I'd be a bit conspicuous amongst the first years," Sydney blushed faintly. I still wasn't sure what to think of Sydney. I had spent a good portion of the summer with her, and she was certainly pleasant enough to talk to, but I didn't know anything about her past. Her circumstances were certainly peculiar and it was obvious to even Peter she was hiding something with the way she avoided questions about her past, but I still didn't want to push her. She didn't seem dangerous, and my intuition was more accurate than most, and besides, I knew better than anyone what it was like to have a secret.

When the sorting began, Sydney's eyes widened and she stared at the worn-out hat with her lips unconsciously parted. She wasn't beautiful in the traditional sense, at least from what I could tell, Sirius was more practiced in assessing these things than I was, but she was sort of pretty in her own way. She kept dark brown hair in a short pixie style and had hazel eyes much like James's, however they were slightly narrower and hers had more grey in them while James's eyes had more brown mixed in. She was tall for a girl, about the same height as Peter, which would put her around 5'10" by my best estimate. Sydney had a lean frame and seemed to lack the curves that were more apparent in other females, though her hips kept her from being completely straight-cut.

I quickly realised I had been staring openly at her and shook my head. Fortunately, it seemed no one had noticed; everyone was too busy watching the sorting. I was thankful, if James or Sirius had noticed, I would never have heard the end of it. I was just curious about this girl who literally came out of thin air, nothing more, but they would surely twist it into something far bigger.

After dinner, I sat in by the fire in the common room with the rest of the Marauders while James and Sirius talked Quidditch. I sat in the overstuffed armchair that I always claimed as my own, enjoying the opportunity to just sit back and relax before I had classes to worry about. Sydney had disappeared upstairs with Lily Evans and Alice Lightwood, who she would be sharing a dorm with for the year.

"So now that McKinnon, Adamson, and Finnegan are gone, we're going to need a seeker, a beater and a keeper," James began, scribbling on one of the many sheets in front of him. "We're lucky we still have all our chasers from last season: we've already worked together and know how we'll each respond to different scenarios."

"Yeah, it's a shame Marlene graduated though," Sirius agreed while looking over the sheets. "That girl was one hell of a beater. It'll be hard to find someone who can fill her position."

"And Finnegan will be hard to replace as seeker," James nodded. "He was small and quick, everything we could've asked for."

"Well whatever happens, I'm sure Gryffindor will win the house cup!" Peter piped up. James grinned, patting him on the back.

"Right you are Wormtail!"

"With Jamsie here as captain, the other houses won't stand a chance," Sirius added. "Not to mention you still have the most brilliant beater to ever fly."

"You're modesty never ceases to astound me," I said dryly.

"Aww, common Moony, you know it's true!" I just shook my head and sighed. There was not a single day that went by that I wasn't grateful for my friends and everything they had done for me, but they certainly were an odd bunch. Sirius then turned to James. "Do you think Bryant will try out?"

James ruffled his hair, pausing before answering. "I'm not sure. She's a natural on a broom, but I'm not sure what would happen if she were put in a game environment. And if she does try out, she's not getting any special treatment. She'll have just as much chance as anyone else." He shook his head. "I really wish she'd tell us what's going on. We've known her for more than a month, I don't like not knowing!"

"She may have a good reason to keep quiet," I pointed out. "In the grand scheme of things, a month isn't all that long to know someone."

"Perhaps," James slowly agreed. "But I still wish I knew what she's hiding from us. She just seems to know a bit more than she should."

I couldn't really deny it. Over the summer when I had been tutoring her, she sometimes let slip knowledge of a spell that hadn't been in any of the books she had read yet without realising it. She knew all sorts of random spells that were learned in various years before having covered all the material. Executing the spells had been the most challenging part, she had mastered the basic charms early on in our lessons, but as the material got more challenging, she found it more and more difficult to progress through the material. In all fairness, she did have six years to catch up on, but her knowledge of the spells themselves went beyond what it should have. Before school started, she had reached about the same level as a student entering her sixth year, so while this would still cause her to struggle in NEWT level classes, she had caught up on a remarkable about of material.

Slowly the common room emptied out as people wanted to get to bed at a decent hour before the first day of classes. I was the last one up, having stayed a bit longer than everyone else to finish reading the chapter of a novel I was on, and was just about to pack up when I heard someone come down the stairs.

"Oh," Sydney said. "I didn't realise anyone was still down here, it wounded like the common room had pretty much emptied out. What are you still doing up?" She went over to the couch close to the armchair with a book in hand, wearing a short pair of plaid boxer shorts and a Weird Sisters t-shirt I recognised as one of James's old shirts.

"I was reading," I held up the muggle novel, _Oliver Twist_, by Charles Dickens. "Have you ever read it?"

"I haven't," she replied. "But I want to sometime."

"I could loan it to you after I've finished if you like," I offered.

"That would be lovely, thank you." We fell silent for a few moments before I continued.

"So what are you doing up at this hour? A bit of a night owl?"

Sydney laughed. "Hardly, I'm much more of a morning person." At this, I couldn't help but cringe a bit. Morning people were miserable to deal with. "I just couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come down here where I wouldn't bother Lily and Alice."

"Why couldn't you sleep?" I prodded. I couldn't help it, I may have been the slightly more reasonable one, but I was still a Marauder and was not immune from the immense curiosity that came with the title.

Sydney tensed up and looked around. "I…. I really shouldn't tell you… I barely know you, and…." She trailed off, looking down.

"That's alright, you don't need to tell m-"

"No!" Sydney cut me off. "I shouldn't… but I need to talk to someone about this or I'm going to explode. I just can't deal with this." Her shoulders began shaking.

"It's alright Sydney," I began awkwardly. I was not used to dealing with emotional females, I wasn't sure exactly how best to react.

"Just… you have to promise to keep this a secret, you can't tell anyone! Not James, or Sirius, and definitely not Peter! Not yet at least…"

"I promise," I said, going over and sitting next to her on the couch, though still keeping a bit of space between us. "So what do you want to tell me?"

"Not here," Sydney shook her head. "People could hear us." I quickly cast muffliato and a charm that would alert us if anyone were coming down the stairs.

"There, how's that?" I asked. Sydney simply nodded in response.

"I don't really know how to begin… this is going to sound crazy." She took a deep breath, and then words began rushing out at high speeds. "I'm not from this world, or even this time, and I know this is going to seem impossible to believe, I'm not sure I'd believe you if our roles were reversed, but where I'm from, all this – Hogwarts, magic, all of it is just something from a book. Well, actually a series of books, but I digress…

"From what I've gathered from talking to Dumbledore, I'm dead in my world, and was sent here to fix what happens in the books, because there's so much… it's just not good. And this is so much responsibility and I have no idea what I'm doing and I feel like I'm about to fall apart!"

I stared at her as her face fell into her hands. "Do you want me to take you to Madame Pomfrey?" I offered. She looked up at me, her expression blank.

"You don't believe me," she whispered. She chuckled. "Of course you don't, it sounds crazy. You probably think I'm crazy." I didn't know how to respond to that. "I shouldn't have told you any of this, I'm sorry. Just forget it ever happened."

And still, I had no idea what to say.

"I know about your furry little secret," she said so quietly that if it weren't for my exceptional hearing I wouldn't have caught it. "I know you're a werewolf."

"What?" It came out in a sharp hiss and I saw her cringe, no big wonder, she thought I was a monster.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I just, need someone to believe me. I need someone I can trust, and who can trust me. I need someone on my side."

"You trust me?" I hardly believed it. My friends accepted me, yes, but they had known me for a few years before figuring it out. Here was a girl, a complete stranger who claimed to have no experience with magic, saying that she would trust a werewolf. A monster.

"Of course, why else would I tell you all this?" Even though she had tear tracks running down her face, I could see her restrain herself from rolling her eyes.

"So you're telling the truth." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, from everything I've read… you're one of the most trustworthy people there are," Sydney replied. "And I'll tell you more some other time… I think that covers the basics. But please… don't tell anyone. It could ruin everything."

"I promise."

She smiled. "I think I'll go to bed now. Goodnight Remus, and thanks for everything." She reached over a hugged me briefly before heading for the stairs.

"Goodnight Sydney."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed, as always, if you have any questions feel free to ask away! I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

Have a great day! (or night)

Sarcastic Spirit


	8. I Wanna Start a Fight

Thanks so much to Living Pretty and ptl4ever491 for reviewing :) Thanks guys, you inspire me to keep writing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and that will not change for the rest of this story. If it does, I promise to tell you, but I'm just going to leave this last general disclaimer that I am just a fan writing this for fun and that will not change anytime soon.

* * *

**I Wanna Start a Fight**

Sydney

_I stood on a vast white plane, unable to distinguish any end to the vast, blank space. "Hello?" I tried calling, but there was no response, no echo. Only complete silence to match the emptiness. "Where am? What do you want with me?"_

_ The ground before me began to ripple and dark lines began to take shape in front of my feet. They blurred for a moment and then started to solidify into words._

_**There is power in writing. Worlds that never existed can come to life with just the stroke of a pen. People live and die by an author's whim. You have a chance to change what should never have happened. A chance to change the lives of many and save them from their fates.**_

_ As I read, more lines of different colours began to spread across the floor, forming images that rose up off the ground like pictures in a pop-up book. I recognized Hogwarts, a locket, a rat… so many images rose up that I couldn't keep track of them all. "But how am I supposed to do that?"_

_**That's for you to figure out.**_

_ "Well that's decidedly unhelpful," I muttered._

_**Deal with it.**_

_ Before I could fully contemplate mysterious force behind the words, a dark crease formed to the left of me. The ground past it started to fold up and it was only then that I realised the white surface I was standing on was the page of a book. The front of the book continued to close and I was trapped, unable to free myself. I thrust my arms outward in a pathetic attempt to stop the cover from closing, but it continued on its downward trajectory._

I screamed. I opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by the crimson curtains of my four-poster bed at Hogwarts. I was soaked in sweat as tremors ran up and down my body completely against my will. Velvet yawned and stretched at the foot of my bed before moving to lie closer to me, snuggling in close and purring reassuringly.

"Sydney?" I heard Alice call sleepily. "Are you alright?"

"I'm just fine," I managed to get out. "Don't worry about it, it was just a nightmare." She mumbled a reply and I heard her roll back over and back to sleep. After everything else, there was no way I could believe there was no significance to the dream, nothing in my life was that simple anymore. Heck, I still hadn't even come up with a cover story for my background! I was a complete mess, I couldn't even keep track of the details in my own life, let alone remember all I needed to do to save the world. No big deal or anything, no pressure at all.

I got up, grabbing a robe at random from my trunk and slipping it on over my pyjamas. I knew myself well enough to know that I wouldn't be able to come up with a story that would have enough details to cover everything people might ask. I had barely managed to get out of telling anything to Lily and Alice last night by asking them about themselves and Hogwarts, but there was no way I could hold out forever, and I still wasn't sure how many people I could share my secret with.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast I was tired but much happier than I could remember being in a long while. Dumbledore had helped me create a story and I was now able to answer questions thrown my way about my past. Of course, a large deal of it was a lie, but at least I had something, and as friendly as the Marauders had been to me before, they definitely seemed to open up as I did.

The basic story was quite similar to my real life; I was raised by wonderful muggle parents, went to school, and rode horses. However, in my new version of the past, one of the women in the neighbourhood used to tell me stories of wizards and witches all of the time, never calling it was fiction. She told me all about Hogwarts and magic, but since everyone thought she was a harmless, batty old lady, no one took anything she said seriously. She had died when I was nine from old age. I had always believed in her stories, even if no one else did. To cover up why I had not gone to Hogwarts when I was eleven, Dumbledore suggested I tell everyone I had lived in Canada for a couple years when I was eleven because of my parents' work, and hadn't been noticed when I moved back to England at the age of thirteen. I had lost my parents in a house fire, and then felt the sudden blast of an explosion before waking up at the Potter's House.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to talk about it before," I apologized, looking at the guys while Remus watched me, perfectly aware of my lies. "It was just too fresh, I wasn't ready to actually discuss it – as though saying it out loud would make it real, you know?"

Lily and Alice had tears in their eyes as I finished my rushed story at the breakfast table. "Oh Sydney, I'm so sorry," Lily said.

"I'm glad you finally told us Bryant," Sirius added, patting my back.

"If you need anything, we're here for you," James looked me in the eyes, and I noticed Lily glancing over at him in mild surprise. I guess she wasn't used to seeing his more serious side.

"Thanks guys, I'm so glad I have you with me," I smiled, feeling slightly bad for lying to them.

Professor McGonagall came around handing out timetables, and everyone began comparing. After discussing potential classes with Mrs. Potter and Remus over the summer, I had decided on Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Care of Magical Creatures. I would have liked to try a few more classes, but I was going to have enough trouble struggling to catch up in all the ones I had anyway. NEWT level classes were a big deal, and I was still nowhere near being prepared.

* * *

"Good morning class!" Professor Slughorn beamed. "Welcome to NEWT level Potions, and congratulations on making it this far! Now, please check the board for your new seating arrangements." With a swish of his wand, a floor-plan appeared on the black board and names in chalk were scrawled in to each seat. The list was alphabetical, and so I ended up sitting next to Sirius, for which I was grateful. It would have been miserable to have ended up with one of the Slytherins who had been eying me since I came here, because of course Slytherins were paired with Gryffindors for Potions.

"Alright Bryant," Sirius grinned as we sat down at our bench. "You ended up with the handsomest partner in the class!"

I rolled my eyes, as Professor Slughorn informed us we would be reviewing the Draught of Living Death, opening my book up to the appropriate page. "Ok, so we need nettles, a bat spleen…" I kept reading before looking up grimacing. "Who would ever willingly take a potion made with these things?"

"It's best just not to think about it," Sirius laughed. "Come on, I'll show you where the things are!"

Sirius turned out to be a really good partner. He was incredibly talented in Potions and actually pretty good at staying on task when not around James, despite the odd flying note that went back and forth. Unfortunately, I was a bit less than skilled in the arts of potion-making, finding it slightly too delicate.

"Miss Bryant, it's two clockwise stirs and then three counter-clockwise stirs," Slughorn corrected as he made the rounds. "Not three clockwise and two counter-clockwise."

Somehow our potion still ended up being acceptable, despite my ineptitude. I somehow got the feeling that I was unlikely to be invited into the Slug Club anytime soon, which was perfectly all right with me.

"So what do you have next?" Lily asked after class when I met up with her and Alice, Sirius going to join the rest of the Marauders.

"Care of Magical Creatures," I replied after a glance at my timetable.

"I have that as well!" Alice smiled warmly. "But I actually have to go grab a couple things from my trunk, I forgot to bring everything." She blushed, and I was reminded in that moment of Neville Longbottom from the books, who was always forgetting things. She had black hair in a short bob and peach skin that lit up with a rosy blush. She had a soft, round face which almost always held a sweet smile.

"Already?" Lily asked good-naturedly. "It's only the first day of classes!"

"I know, I know," Alice sighed. "But I'm sure I'll get better eventually! Will you be alright finding the class Sydney?"

"I'll be just fine, I can wait for you if you'd like though."

"Oh no, I'll probably be late… please let Professor Kettleburn I'm sorry?"

"Sure thing Alice, I'll see you there!" She and Lily then headed off towards the common room and I started to make my way down to the main entrance of the school.

"Well, well, well. Looks like they've left the Mudblood all alone." I spun around and saw three Slytherins who had been in Potions. All of them were rather tall, one had short dark hair and dark skin, another had dirt blond hair and the the third had greasy black hair, a hooked nose and a bored expression.

"Can I help you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow calmly though internally my nerves were on edge.

The blond one sneered. "Watch your attitude, you need to learn to respect your superiors."

"Perhaps," I shrugged. "But I certainly don't see any superiors around here." I knew I was pushing my luck, I really was. I didn't know many hexes or curses; I would be in serious trouble if wands were drawn. Maybe it was my stupid Gryffindor courage that refused to back down… or just plain stupidity.

"I think we had better teach her some manners," the dark-haired one pulled out his wand, and his blond friend did the same. The other one, who I could only assume was Severus Snape, did nothing but stand by and watch calmly.

At that moment, I panicked. I forgot everything I had learned about shield spells, defensive techniques and escape strategies. At that moment, I swung back my fist and smashed it into the blond's smug face, causing him to drop his wand.

"Bloody hell!" He gasped, his hands jumping up to cradle his nose.

"Now you've really done it," there was nothing but hatred in the dark-haired one's eyes. I spun around, running in the other direction, but a tripping spell hit me and I went tumbling down the stairs I had just climbed up.

This time I reached for my wand, forcing myself to get up as the three figures continued towards me, though I took a deep satisfaction in noticing a bit of blood trickling out between the blond's fingers.

"Ooh look, she wants to fight," the dark one taunted.

"I'm not scared of you," I glared, my wand pointed in his direction. I could feel the adrenaline racing through me; every part of my being was vibrating with energy. The air started to crackle and my hair stood up. Short blue streaks began shooting out the tip of my wand, and for the first time the three Slytherins looked hesitant.

"What is going on here?" A voice asked, and I dropped my wand in surprise as Slughorn came out into the hall.

"Nothing," Severus Snape spoke for the first time. He and his friends then turned around and left, leaving me in the hall with a professor who had just seen me using magic in the halls.

"Professor, I'm so sorry – " I started.

"That was quite impressive Miss Bryant," Slughorn praised. "Would you be interested in joining a little club I run?"

* * *

Alice had been slightly concerned when I showed up to class even later than she did with a cut above my left eye, bruises and all the hair on my head standing up in every direction. I certainly got a few strange looks from the other Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs in the class. Slughorn had written me a note saying he had kept me, so I didn't lose any house points, but Alice wasted no time in pouncing on me for details.

"And then he invited me to join the 'Slug Club'," I shrugged, finishing my story. She laughed at that.

"You poor soul!" Alice giggled. "Those dinners are horrible, it's nothing but Slughorn trying to bank up favours for later." Then her face turned serious again. "But I don't like those Slytherins… you shouldn't go anywhere alone for a while."

"I'll be fine, I'm not going to let them control my life," I argued.

"That was some pretty interesting magic you performed," Alice said thoughtfully. "How did you do it?"

"I don't know," I shrugged.

"Well, accidental magic can happen early on in your training," Alice looked thoughtful. "But do be careful please, I don't want anything to happen to you."

_And I don't want anything to happen to you_, I thought. After all of Alice's talk about her boyfriend Frank last night, there was no doubt in my mind she would be the mother of Neville Longbottom, and there was no way I was going to let her meet the fate the books called for.

* * *

**AN:** Thanks for reading, I'd love to hear from my readers with thoughts/questions/anything. Have a lovely day!

Sarcastic Spirit


	9. Couldn't Shut My Mouth

Thanks to my awesome reviewer jmanfb, sorry the update took so long! Here's another Sydney chapter, but don't worry, we'll be seeing a lot more of James and Sirius soon!

Disclaimer: I still don't own HP, to bad...

* * *

**Couldn't Shut My Mouth**

Sydney

Needless to say, the Marauders and Lily were not too happy to hear about my run-in with the Slytherins, who we determined to be Snape, Avery and Mulciber. After a long argument though, I managed to talk them out of getting back at Snape for it, since I knew their bullying would just enforce Snape's hate for them, which could later be taken out on Harry.

The next few weeks passed slowly, but without any major incidents. It didn't take long to discover that I was rubbish in all of my classes but Care of Magical Creatures and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Remus, James, Sirius and Lily would often give me help in all of my other courses, understanding my difficulties being so far behind. I also spent time telling Remus more about the Harry Potter books, though I left out information specific to the Marauders.

"So do you really think he has Horcruxes?" Remus asked in a hushed tone, despite us being far from the castle along the lake with no one around us.

"I do, and I'm going to get rid of them once I'm out of Hogwarts," I said with determination. "And preferably I'll start before then."

"How are you going to find time for all of this? You're having enough trouble keeping up in your classes as it is."

"I'll make time," I shrugged. "And that's not even to mention I'll be working part-time for Hagrid in the forest to keep track and manage a bunch of the creatures there. I asked Dumbledore if there was any way I could make some money since I don't have any of my own and don't want to be a charity case. Because I've been doing so well in Care, he suggested that."

"Isn't Professor Kettleburn in charge of the creatures?" Remus wondered.

"He's been slowing down, so Hagrid takes care of a lot of them, Kettleburn just teaches." I looked over to Remus to notice him staring across the water. "I think I want to tell James and Sirius about this."

His head snapped around; that certainly got his attention. "Why not Peter?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "I… I'm not sure he's trustworthy."

"Why, what has Peter ever done to seem untrustworthy?" Remus looked angry that I doubted one of his friends.

"I shouldn't say," I told him. "Then Peter… well, things could become a self-fulfilling prophecy."

Remus stood up abruptly, glaring at me. "Peter is one of my closest friends, he stood by me when many others wouldn't. I'm not going to let someone I've known for less than a year tell me I can't trust one of my best mates!" He turned and began to storm off.

"Fine!" I seethed. "Go ahead and trust the person who will lead to the death of one of your best friends and the wrongful imprisonment of the other!" Remus stopped in his tracks and turned around as my hands shot up to my mouth in horror. Me and my big mouth.

"Tell me you're lying," Remus demanded, grabbing my arms roughly and staring at me hard in the eyes.

I gulped. "I can't. I shouldn't have said anything, but I can't tell you it was a lie." Remus loosened his grip on my arms.

"How?"

"I told you about the prophecy that led Voldemort to kill Harry," I began. "Well, James and his wife went into hiding with the protection of the Fidelius Charm – do you know what that is?" Remus nodded, so I continued. "Sirius was going to be secret keeper, but at the last minute, they switched him for Peter.

"Then _Peter_," I spat. "went and told Voldemort and his followers where the family was located. When Sirius found the family dead, aside from Harry that is, he chased after Pettigrew, knowing who it was that had betrayed the family. Pettigrew was cornered, but he set off an explosion that blew up thirteen muggles, cut off his own finger to leave behind, and then transformed into a rat to escape into the sewars. When the Aurors came, Sirius was blamed for killing the muggles as well as poor sweet little Peter." Remus did not fail to catch the bitterness in my voice as I finished off.

"I need time," Remus muttered before beginning the long walk back to the castle. I watched him leave silently without moving from my spot on the grass. I felt bad, I really did. There was nothing to say that Peter could not be redeemed, that he hadn't changed. Maybe it wasn't too late to save him, but in my anger, I had planted a seed of doubt in Remus that would most likely affect how he treated his friend. Yep, this was definitely high up on my list of _Times Sydney Bryant Should Have Thought Before Speaking_.

* * *

That night in the common room, I sat away from everyone else in an armchair located in a corner of the room. James and Sirius were rapidly talking about the Quidditch tryouts that would be going on tomorrow while Peter hung on their every word. Remus was being even more quiet than usual.

Lily and Alice both were working on an Arithmancy assignment with a group of Ravenclaws in the Library, so I didn't have anyone to talk to.

I knew it was spiteful, but I purposely wore a tank top that night which readily showed the hand-shaped bruises on my arms. Despite his scrawny appearance, Remus was incredibly strong. The bruises didn't hurt too much, but they were already turning a lovely blue-green colour.

Remus looked over to my corner and his mouth opened ever so slightly in shock. _Well, good_, I thought. _You should realise what you've done_. I looked back at him with my chin raised defiantly and turned back to my Potions work. I knew I was being childish, but at that moment I really didn't care.

Before I knew it, a shadow loomed over me. "Sydney – " Remus began.

"Sorry, I don't have time to talk right now. Quidditch trials tomorrow and I need to finish this off so I can get to bed early to be well rested."

"Sydney, you have to understand, hearing that about someone you thought you could trust without question…. It's not easy." He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm so sorry," he added quietly, staring at my arms.

I shrugged. "It's not that bad, I've had worse." I looked up at his expression and sighed. Now I was starting to feel bad about trying to make him feel guilty – it had worked a bit too well.

"Still, I shouldn't have – " Remus sighed. "James and Sirius are going to kill me."

"What on earth for?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ever since you came here, you've been like a little sister to them. They're quite protective of you, you know."

"You had fair reason to," I looked away, unable to meet his eyes.

"No, there's no excuse for that," Remus shook his head. "And even then, they don't know what happened…."

"Here, give me your sweater," I interrupted. Confused, Remus took it off and handed it to me and I then pulled it on over my head. "There," I beamed. "They'll never know."

"But still – "

"No buts Remus John Lupin, what's done is done, now let's move on, okay?"

"Okay."

"Now go back to your friends," I instructed. "I'm sure you're dying to hear more about Quidditch tryouts."

* * *

The next evening, I collapsed onto my bed; muddy, wet, exhausted, but happy. Of course the day of Quidditch tryouts there was a thunderstorm. Fortunately the lightning was off in the distance and not a danger to anyone flying, but the rain had certainly been heavy.

"How'd it go?" Alice asked, seating herself at the edge of my bed with a smile. "We brought you some food – you haven't eaten since breakfast!"

"Thanks," I grinned, sitting up and gladly taking the slice of chicken pot pie and chocolate cupcake she offered me. "And I think it went well, team list won't be posted until tomorrow though."

"I'm glad to hear it," Lily smiled. "I've never been one for Quidditch, I'm afraid of heights," she admitted.

"We really wanted to come watch and support you," Alice promised. "But with the weather, we wouldn't have been able to see anything."

"Don't worry about it," I managed through a half-mouthful of pie. "I wouldn't have wanted you to sit out there freezing your butts off for me. Man, James takes his Quidditch seriously though," I groaned. "I was almost thinking being struck by lightning might be less painful than his drills."

As much as I would have loved to stay up and chat with Lily and Alice, who were becoming some of my closest friends, I was just far too exhausted. As soon as I finished the last bite of my cupcake, I closed the curtains on my four-poster bed and stripped off my outer layers of clothing and then giving in to the exhaustion and falling into a deep, peaceful sleep.

* * *

Thanks for reading, please remember, reviews inspire me to keep writing, so taking a minute to review will almost certainly lead to quicker updates!

Have a great day!

Sarcastic Spirit


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